UNICEF says 1 in 4 Iraqi kids in poverty as US denies aid

The United Nations children’s agency says one in every four children is in poverty in Iraq, which seeks urgent international assistance to help it reconstruct after a four-year-long war against the Takfiri terror group of Daesh.

The UNICEF revealed the information in a statement on Sunday, adding that half of Iraq's schools needed repairs and over three million children had had their education interrupted.

"Children are Iraq's future," said Geert Cappelaere, the UNICEF’s regional director for the Middle East and North Africa.

Daesh launched its campaign of terror and bloodshed against the Arab country in 2014. It overran vast swathes of territory in lightning attacks.

Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared victory over the group last December after the army and its allies retook the last urban areas in western Iraq from the Takfiri militants.

Baghdad is demanding $100 billion in foreign investment in transport, energy, and agriculture as part of a plan to rebuild parts of the country and revive the economy.

Kuwait is hosting an international conference on the country's reconstruction on February 12-14.